Lantern and illuminated sign for street-cars



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. I. LARZELERE.

LANTERN AND ILLUMINATED SIGN FOR STREET CARS. No. 586,775. Patented July20, 1897.

WITNESSES INNVENTOR.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. I. LARZELERE. LANTERN AND ILLUMINATED SIGN FOR STREET CARS.

w w W W B P a m 1 .II I T y m. c W M xwv v Mu K I J u M Q E w 1M \v C Im B u m M P M m m n v i e w 1 e m a- S. m 5 m M/ 1 u N v w a m 5 km. 5 YE m W1 Q00 UNi'rnn STATES PATENT OFFICE,

YVASIIINGTON IRVING LARZELERE, OF CINCINNATI, OIIIO.

LANTERN AND ILLUMINATED SIGN FOR STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,775, dated July 20,1897. Application filed April 17, 1897. Serial No. 632,685. (No model.)

To (all whrmt it 71211. 7 concern.-

Be it known that I, WASHINGTON IRVING LARZELERE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, State ofOhio, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Lanterns andIlluminated Signs for Street-Oar Purposes, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in a lantern and illuminated signs,one of which signs is placed outside 011 the roof of a car and the othersign is to show inside of the car and in fact to form part of thelantern itself.

Another object of my invention is to construct my lantern so thatalthough I use one of the lights in my lantern used for lighting the carI do not take any effective light from the inside of the car.

The objects of my improvement are, first, a lantern fixed onto theinside roof of a car, with a 1i ght-tube and lens to throw its rays ontoa sign on the outside roof of a car; second, of the novel constructionof my lantern at its opposite end from the light-tube, whereby I amenabled to show a sign on the inside of the car and also to distributethe light from the lantern into the car; third, in the novelconstruction of the stand and frame of my sign on the outside of the carto facilitate the changing of signs easily and readily. I attain theseobjects by the mechanisms illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the whole mechanism affixed toa streetcar roof. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, and Fig. 3 an end view, ofmy lantern, showing the construction of the same to throw its light ontoa sign outside and inside of a car and also for distributing its lightinto the body of the car at the same time. Fig. a is a front view, andFig. 5 an edge view, of the frame for the sign on the outside of thecar. Fig. 8 is a section on line a a, Fig. 4, showing means used tocushion and hold the glass sign in place in the frame. Fig. 6 is afrontview, Fig. 7 an end View, of the holder for the sign-frame; and Fig. 9,a section of same on line 6 6, showing in dotted lines the section ofsign-frame in position.

Similar letters and figures refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

The letters A and A, Fig. 1, show the roof of a streetcar in dottedlines, inside of which is fixed by suitable means my improved lantern,the light-tube O projecting through a suitable opening in the front wallof the Ventilator A of the car, and at a suitable distance from the lensI) of the light-tube O is securely fixed by bolts in the main roof A ofthe car the holder G of the sign F, the bolts passing through holes inthe legs II II of the holder G into the car-roof. The object attained bythis construction is to be able to easily change signs at any timewithout having to loosen any bolts or screws, the holder G, by extendingabove the axial center of the sign, holding said sign in place by itsnormal springpressure. The frame F, being made a little tightlongitudinally to exert a slight strain endwise on the holder G, theframe E, and consequently sign F, by lifting vertically, readily slipsout of holder G, when another frame and sign may be set in its place inthe holder G.

In section Fig. 8 I plainly show the means used to cushion and hold theglass signs into the frame E, F being part of a section of glass sign,onto the outside edge of which, overlappingasuitable distance on eachside, is drawn the cushion substance K, preferably a rubber band madeendless and stretched onto place around the edge of the glass sign, thewhole being held in place by binding-strips O, securely fastened toframe E by screws 1.

B, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, show the body part of my lantern, which hassecurely fastened to its front end light-tube O, into which is fixed alens D. This light-tube projecting through the forward end of the wallof the ventilator part of the car-roof throws the light from the lanternonto the sign F. 011 the opposite end of B from light-tube O is fixed ina suitable Way grooved slides 5, into which the sign M, showing insideof the car, slides. Below this slide 5 and extending back toward the endof body 13, onto which light-tube O is fixed, I cut away the bot-tompart of body 13 of my lantern to a more or less angle, as may berequired, (see Z2, Fig. 2,) exposing the inside of my lantern, andconsequently through this opening distributing all the surplus light ofthe electric-light bulb 3 into the body of the car. 2 shows the electricwire into the lantern and electric-light bulb 3.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of an illuminated sign fixed to the roof of a car onthe outside, separate from the lantern, alantern throwing light onto thesame by means of a suitable light-tube, and lens, with a sign on theinside of a car, forming a part of said lantern, as and for the purposedescribed and set forth.

2. The combination of illuminated signs, one on the outside of the carand the other inside; made of glass or other translucent material, uponwhich and through which the letters of the sign are shown both day andnight, one of which signs is separate from the lantern, and has a lightprojected onto it, and one of which forms part of the lantern, and has adirect light onto it, both of which signs, inside and outside, arelighted by the same electric bulb, without diminution of the light ofsaid bulb to the inside of the car, and both of which signs may bereadily changed without disturbing said lantern, as and for the purposeset forth.

3. The combination in a lantern for the purpose described, of asubstantially rectangular body, having at its front end a lighttubeandlens, and at its rear, or opposite end, a suitable slide for a sign;and which is cut away as at b as and for the purpose described.

4. A combination of a frame E surrounding a suitable sign, a cushion 7tfor said sign, and a holder G as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A combination of a forward front outside sign F, upon which arepainted letters distinctly legible by day and by night without change ofany apparatus; the letters being made legible by night simply by thesame act, and at the same time by which the car itself is lighted: andan inside sign on the rear of the lantern-box B, distinctly legible byday and night, without change in the apparatus of the car, or in itslighting arrangements, the Whole combination being a day and night sign,both inside and outside of the car, consuming no extra light, andrequiring no separate attention from the general lighting of the car, asand for the purpose set forth.

IRVING LARZELERE.

\Vitnesses:

DELIA DREssELL, II. E. STAGMAN.

